Recent word from sources close to Motorola confirm that a significant speed bump will be timed for MacWorld Expo in July, raising current bus speeds, and seeing new 7470-based G4s raise frequencies to as high as 1.5Ghz.

Microsoft's 'Seattlement' Service Pack for Windows XP is to go into testing within the next few weeks, and will ship later this year. The company doesn't usually make a big marketing deal of Service Packs, but for legal compliance reasons WinXP SP1 is special, so it's been taking some journalists through what's in it, how it will work and how it will comply.

Systemax, the IT mail-order reseller formerly known as Globaldirect, has completed the announcements for its UK consolidation, Les Biggs VP of Europe told us. The changes which should be completed in September will see Systemax's seven UK sites cut to three: Wellingborough, Greenock and Walthamstow.

The Professional Contractors Group (PCG) is best known for its opposition to the Government's plans to introduce a new "stealth" tax which specifically targets contractors. Set up in May 1999 to fight the Government's plans to introduce IR35, the PCG has grown from a single-issue campaign group into a professional trade organisation representing knowledge-based workers in the oil and gas, telecoms, pharmaceuticals and IT sectors.

Microsoft's problems with Brussels have been compounded by news that the European Commission is investigating whether Passport is compatible with European data protection law. European law is substantially tougher than the US equivalent in this area, and Microsoft's record on database control is somewhat patchy, so it wouldn't be a big surprise if the Commission decided there was a problem here.